novelxo Chapter 8
"Hello, two dozens of wine..."
Sophia never thought that this world could be so ridiculously small.It was as if she could see that man as soon as she raised her
head.
The moment she pushed open the door, she saw Patrick, who was sitting at the head of the table.
Tonight, he was dressed in a black suit, and his thick black hair was set with wax.
He looked steady and striking.
His eyebrows were slightly knitted because of the dazzling overhead light, but that did not affect the aristocratic aura from his
chiseled face.
He was smoking, and she could not see Patrick's expression in the haze.
Adriana was sitting beside Patrick.She happened to glance at the door and saw Sophia.
Adriana seemed to have been struck by lightning.
She froze, and her face registered disbelief.
'How could it be her?' Adriana thought.
"Sophia?' Someone at the table exclaimed.
All the good friends who knew the relationship between the three people looked at Patrick, sitting at the head of the table.
They didn't know what to do.
The excitement brought about by the birthday celebration quickly turned to ice because of the appearance of Sophia.
It was so quiet that even a falling needle could be heard.
The strobe lights overhead slowly centered on Patrick.
He was wrapped in warm light, and it accentuated his body's cold and hard edges.He looked at Sophia indifferently.
No matter where she went, she could feel the intense light in his eyes, as if he wanted to burn her whole body.
Sophia felt guilty for no reason when she saw Patrick looking at her.
At this moment, the most embarrassing thing in her heart was not meeting her ex-husband and his fiancee.
She was most worried about whether she could continue working in Evans Enterprise.
If she remembered correctly, the Evans Enterprise employee handbook clearly stated that employees, including contractual
ones, were forbidden to engage in any form of part-time work.
Although she needed to work for the person she disliked the most, she did not want to give up this high-salary job because she
wanted to be financially stable.
But, after tonight, the peace she wanted to protect would be broken.
It was only because his eyes reflected too many emotions.It was as if he wanted to do a lot of things at the same time.
So be it to ridicule her, ask her questions, or be indifferent.
There were even more that she could not understand.
But it was apparent that Patrick would not let Sophia go easily this time.
Finally, Brandon stood up and greeted her, "Hey, Sophia, long time no see"
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Sophia's face.Her face stiffened as she forced out a smile.
"Long time no see, Brandon.
In addition to her embarrassment, Sophia did not forget that she was working that night.
She uncorked the wine bottles one by one and gently placed them on the table.
Her movements were graceful and smooth.
When she finished, she turned around to leave.
"Since we happened to bump into each other, let's have a chat!" Adriana suddenly said.
"Patrick, you don't mind me doing this, right?"
"It's your birthday.You can decide who you want to be here."
The man's cultured and mature voice was pleasant to hear, and there was no hint that Sophia and Patrick had a past together.
Patrick's expression was so elegant.
It was breathtaking.
That was good.
She could tolerate indifference as this was what she wanted from him.
Sophia's relationship with Patrick should have been forgotten a long time ago.
They were not from the same world, so why should they force themselves to be together? That would make everyone tired, and
it was not worth it.
It had been five years, and she had already learned her lesson.
"No, I don't want to disturb you, and I am working!" Sophia's answer was neither obsequious nor arrogant.
On the contrary, she was so calm that she even surprised herself.
Just as she was about to turn around, Adriana spoke again, "Sophia, we are sisters.No matter what, you have to wait for me to
blow the candle and make a wish before you go."
Adriana implied that if she still didn't stay, it would appear that she was not reasonable.It would make people feel that she was
running away and had not let go of the past.
Sophia was beyond the age of competition with others.
Instead, being able to have enough to survive now was the most important thing to her.
Adriana saw Sophia's hesitation and took it as she agreed to stay.
Adriana suddenly became excited.
"By the way, before blowing the candle, Patrick, could you please get me your gift?"
Patrick nodded with a vague smile as if he would consent to all of Adriana's requests.
He gently took out the high-end brocade box from the pink paper bag and opened it.
A dazzling ruby necklace was nestled in the velvet case and was revealed in front of everyone.Though Sophia did not know
much about jewelry, she knew that it was a rare ruby necklace made by a famous person, the only one in the world.
A while back, it was reportedly bought by the Frostford City Museum, but unexpectedly, it was now in the hands of Patrick.
As for the amount he paid for it, only he knew.
But it must be worth a lot.
Sophia just stood there.She was unable to express any emotions and could only suppress the bitterness from her soul.She told
herself she didn't care, but how could she completely ignore this? His well-defined hands took the dazzling necklace from the
box.
Adriana moved sideways and gathered up her loose hair.
She revealed her perfectly curved neck.
Patrick put the necklace on Adriana's neck expertly.
The delicate pale collarbone of the lady matched the ruby necklace.
It made Adriana even more dazzling.
The cooperation between each other was a tacit understanding that had been accumulated over the years.
It was as if no one else was there.
Adriana took the opportunity to hold Patrick's hand and put it on her shoulder.
She turned around, and they looked at each other.
"Thank you, Patrick.I like this birthday gift very much."
Then, she kissed Patrick on his cheek, "It's so good to have you, Patrick"
Adriana glanced sideways and was satisfied to see Sophia's already paling face.
Only then did she feel a little better.
'So what if Sophia had been Patrick's wife for five years? I am still the one he cared about the most, right?' Adriana asked
herself.
"Sister, aren't you going to wish me a happy birthday?"
From Sophia's point of view, Adriana's gaze conveyed a little bit of hostility, but Adriana was good at concealing emotions so the
other guests would not notice.
Sophia had worked all night and was now tired of dealing with all these people.
She just wanted to end this encounter, which was both mentally and physically torturous, as soon as possible.
"Of course."
Sophia took a clean glass from the table, "I wish the two of you to grow old and enjoy eternal love."
Then, she downed the glass of wine in one big swallow.
'It was over.It was all over' Sophia thought bitterly.
A secret crush at the age of seventeen, then marriage, and then divorced at the age of twenty-two.
Then, they met again at twenty-seven.
It was ten years of her youth.
'I can finally move on and forget Patrick” she said to herself.
She turned to leave, but a wave of cramps and stomach ache hit her.
The more painful it was, the calmer she got.
She walked out and closed the door.
The pain made her collapse to the ground.
But life did not give her the right to give up.
So, she endured the pain and found two pieces of stomach medicine and took them.
After a while, it finally eased.
She had returned to herself, invulnerable to hurt and heartaches.
The activity in the private room lasted until one o'clock in the morning.
Then, Sophia and another girl in charge of the private room service cleaned up the room and carried out the trash bags to
complete the night's work.
By the time Sophia changed clothes and walked out of the entrance of the Golden Pavillion, it was already past one and a half in
the morning.
Although it was summer, the night in Frostford City was still cold.
She did not wear any heavy coat and could not help but shiver.She raised her head slightly and looked at the stars.
They were exceptionally bright.
The street lamp was placed every few meters by the side of the road and the lamp lights combined with the starlight cast
emotions in her heart.
It was a mixture of sadness and despair.
Something fell from her eyes.She touched her face and wiped her eyes.She did not even realize she was crying.